In the field of package shipping, packages are routed from origins to destinations throughout the world according to destination addresses typed on shipping labels applied to the packages. Typically, package delivery companies apply a label bearing a machine-readable code to each package in the system to identify the package so that it may be readily tracked as it moves throughout the package distribution system.
Often, information about a package's location is provided to a customer by the delivery company through a variety of different mechanisms so that a customer may easily periodically check on the status of a package. For instance, the customer (or “user” of a package tracking system) may check a delivery company's tracking system from his personal computer by accessing an Internet web site. Alternatively, the customer may check the tracking system while he is in transit using mobile communication devices. Often, customers make many checks to determine package location throughout the overall delivery process.
With the proliferation of a myriad of communication devices, more and more customers want to track packages using more than just the traditional mechanisms such as interactive voice response systems or connecting to Internet based tracking sites using a desktop computer. At the same time, these customers also want the same ease of use for multiple alternative communication devices in checking package location. For instance, a customer might want to use a personal computer and Internet site while at home or in the office sitting at his desk, but then want to use a mobile device such as a cell phone, personal digital assistant or pager while he is in transit. Especially with the advance in wireless technologies, customer demand has drastically increased for the ability to track packages using a mobile communication device with at least the same ease had at home or in the office sitting in front of a computer. However, many of today's mobile communication devices lack the user-friendly input interfaces typically associated with a desktop computer (i.e., a full size keyboard). Accordingly, many mobile users that desire to track packages need to enter tracking numbers comprising many characters (i.e., 18 digits) while using an interface that is cumbersome each time they want to check on the status of a package. Accordingly, a need exists for systems and methods that allow a user to track packages throughout the course of delivery and which allow the user to use one or more communication devices without requiring the user to reenter a tracking number each time.